When you have 3 all-stars on 1 team

[WiggyRuss]

the reverse of that is- i without a doubt think the scrutiny the Cavs endured helped them in the playoffs.

Can they come back from being down 3-1 and having to win 2 in a row in San Fran if they didnt undergo the immense amount of scrutiny and criticism they endured during the regular season? maybe- but maybe not.

Its why i think how Durant responds will be so fascinating- it could be a positive or a negative.

 

[Black Adam]

Honestly it'll come down to the players trusting the process. You won't have any issues with Curry, Thompson or Draymond, because they have faith in themselves and the organization including coaching staff. What will really need to be build up is trust between Durant and Kerr. If those two are able to get on the same page, I don't think any expectations of wins during the regular season will matter to the big picture.

imo you won't have too much of an issue with KD buying into the program. dude imo is a consummate professional and he sees the bigger picture...

obviously the games'll bear that out. just saying i'm not seeing any upcoming issue...

 

[WiggyRuss]

The media is going to kill the Warriors from the opening tip of the season. It doesn't matter what their record is. The Warriors of last year won 73 regular season games, and it's clear they won't come close to that this year. Everyone and their moms is going to keep harping back to depth, but the issue is not the depth, but self-preservation. If the Warriors win 60 games and stay healthy, that would be an excellent regular season for them in their minds. For the media, they'll say the Warriors are terrible. It's just the way it goes.

totally agree.

like the Cavs last year- there is nothing the Warriors can do until June.

 

[Heatles84]

i dunno....2 states with the highest rates of AIDS in the country are Florida and California unsurprisingly...

Good thing I live in Washington state, genius.

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

Good thing I live in Washington state, genius.

And the highest rate of homer bandwagoners is in Cleveland. What's his point?

 

[trojanfan12]

Because you are...

If you're so unhappy here...leave.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

The media is going to kill the Warriors from the opening tip of the season. It doesn't matter what their record is. The Warriors of last year won 73 regular season games, and it's clear they won't come close to that this year. Everyone and their moms is going to keep harping back to depth, but the issue is not the depth, but self-preservation. If the Warriors win 60 games and stay healthy, that would be an excellent regular season for them in their minds. For the media, they'll say the Warriors are terrible. It's just the way it goes.

I personally got them at 64 wins. But, to come out and say they shouldn't have concerns (especially with depth) is untrue. It's a long season and they still have to play the games, and you don't know what kind of bumps in the road there will be along the way.

I'm a Cubs fan and we by far have the best record in MLB right now, but I ain't celebrating anything or even close to it right now.

 

[msgkings322]

I personally got them at 64 wins. But, to come out and say they shouldn't have concerns (especially with depth) is untrue. It's a long season and they still have to play the games, and you don't know what kind of bumps in the road there will be along the way.

I'm a Cubs fan and we by far have the best record in MLB right now, but I ain't celebrating anything or even close to it right now.

108 years will do that to you. Plus baseball is very different than basketball in that once the playoffs start it's close to random who wins the World Series. In basketball it's almost always the 1 or 2 seed.

Ws just won a ring a year+ ago and added a stud. Yes you gotta play the games, but only injuries can keep the Ws from the WCF at the barest minimum. This is pretty plain.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

108 years will do that to you. Plus baseball is very different than basketball in that once the playoffs start it's close to random who wins the World Series. In basketball it's almost always the 1 or 2 seed.

Ws just won a ring a year+ ago and added a stud. Yes you gotta play the games, but only injuries can keep the Ws from the WCF at the barest minimum. This is pretty plain.

And baseball only carries 10 playoff teams to the NBA's 16 and doesn't have deep early playoff rounds. But yeah, anything short of winning the west would be a massive disappointment for GS. And with the way social media is today, people will get on their asses even if they lose in the NBA Finals...

 

[msgkings322]

And baseball only carries 10 playoff teams to the NBA's 16 and doesn't have deep early playoff rounds. But yeah, anything short of winning the west would be a massive disappointment for GS. And with the way social media is today, people will get on their asses even if they lose in the NBA Finals...

Agreed. And they kind of should get grief if they fall short of a title. If they are fully healthy, they really have no excuse.

 

[CitySushi]

I personally got them at 64 wins. But, to come out and say they shouldn't have concerns (especially with depth) is untrue. It's a long season and they still have to play the games, and you don't know what kind of bumps in the road there will be along the way.

I'm a Cubs fan and we by far have the best record in MLB right now, but I ain't celebrating anything or even close to it right now.

Oh I'm under no illusions that there are plenty of questions surrounding this team. I'm not saying that of all the myriad of things that could potentially go wrong, depth is probably way lower on the list than you're giving it credit for. The reasons I have stated are because of the staggering of the star players. If you have two star players on the court with the second unit(say KD and Klay), not only does it alleviate some of the concerns over depth because you have to stars to hold it down, but it gives them some additional run where they can get their shots up.

The depth isn't going to be an issue because if you have KD and Klay on the court, and just one between Iguodala and Livingston, then 2 filler spots, you would still have a better second unit than any one else in the league. If you're looking at it from a pure 5 in, 5 out model, then yes, depth would absolutely be an issue. But it will not be an issue if the coaching staff gets the rotations right, and I have every belief that they will.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I personally got them at 64 wins. But, to come out and say they shouldn't have concerns (especially with depth) is untrue. It's a long season and they still have to play the games, and you don't know what kind of bumps in the road there will be along the way.

I'm a Cubs fan and we by far have the best record in MLB right now, but I ain't celebrating anything or even close to it right now.

if we get a Cubs/Indians WS it might just get ugly...lol....the team that loses that will be by far and away the biggest loser...

 

[HurricaneDij39]

if we get a Cubs/Indians WS it might just get ugly...lol....the team that loses that will be by far and away the biggest loser...

Maybe for the Indians it might be, but as a Cubs fan I don't look at it that way for us. Theo Epstein was brought in five years ago to create a formula for sustained success, in that if we get close one year we'll be in position to get back the following year. He tore the system down and built it back up to do so, as we endured a 100-loss season along the way.

Nonetheless, I think Cubs/Indians would be a classic and I'd like to see it...

 

[WiggyRuss]

Maybe for the Indians it might be, but as a Cubs fan I don't look at it that way for us. Theo Epstein was brought in five years ago to create a formula for sustained success, in that if we get close one year we'll be in position to get back the following year. He tore the system down and built it back up to do so, as we endured a 100-loss season along the way.

Nonetheless, I think Cubs/Indians would be a classic and I'd like to see it...

Epstein has been amazing. The Rizzo trade was pure theft. I was pissed the Indians did not get in on that. The Cubs' drafting has been absolutely out of this world as well.

Lester, Kendricks and Arrieta are all under team control for a long long time too if I am not mistaken. The position players that are young are just insane. Schwarber, Soler, Bryant, Baez, Russell, Contreras, Rizzo is sitll young- its pretty unbelievable. Combine that young inexpensive core that wont be eligible for free agency for years- and the huge revenue the Cubs have there is no reason they shouldnt be one of the best teams in the NL for the forseeable future.


Obviously Francona is the Indians manager.

Think about that- if there is an Indians/Cubs World Series- either Francona or Epstein will cement their legacies as one of the very best ever.

Imagine being the GM that broke the curse for BOTH the Red Sox AND the Cubs---- or the manager who lead the Indians since to their first title since '48 and of course broke the Red Sox curse as well.

The Indians are set up for years to come as well but unlike the Cubs who's core is centered around about half a dozen great young hitters- the Tribe is built around its pitching staff.

Kluber and Carrasco are top of the rotation pitchers that are on amazing contracts. Kluber is tied up until 2022- Carrasco until 2021...Salazar is not even arbitration eligible yet. Bauer is still years away from free agency. You have those 4 guys making LESS than 30 million a year combined---- thats insane in todays MLB to have a rotation THAT good and THAT inexpensive. Some good young pitchersi n the minors too- Aiken was taken with the #1 overall pick- had Tommy John, re-entered the draft and the Tribe took him in the top 20 - and he has ace material.

And of course- the Tribe DOES have some good young position players- Lindor is already one of the best in baseball and has been amazing. Jose Ramirez looks like a helluva good infielder, Kipnis is signed up forever on a VERY reasonable deal, Tyler Naquin looks like the real deal- and Bradley Zimmer (who is the Tribe's best prospect) I think is gonna be really freaking good.

Its funny how the Cubs and Indians of all teams are set up to have such sustained sucess.

Also doesn't hurt having Theo as your GM or Francona as your manager...I have never seen a manager so beloved by his players.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Epstein has been amazing. The Rizzo trade was pure theft. I was pissed the Indians did not get in on that. The Cubs' drafting has been absolutely out of this world as well.

Lester, Kendricks and Arrieta are all under team control for a long long time too if I am not mistaken. The position players that are young are just insane. Schwarber, Soler, Bryant, Baez, Russell, Contreras, Rizzo is sitll young- its pretty unbelievable. Combine that young inexpensive core that wont be eligible for free agency for years- and the huge revenue the Cubs have there is no reason they shouldnt be one of the best teams in the NL for the forseeable future.


Obviously Francona is the Indians manager.

Think about that- if there is an Indians/Cubs World Series- either Francona or Epstein will cement their legacies as one of the very best ever.

Imagine being the GM that broke the curse for BOTH the Red Sox AND the Cubs---- or the manager who lead the Indians since to their first title since '48 and of course broke the Red Sox curse as well.

The Indians are set up for years to come as well but unlike the Cubs who's core is centered around about half a dozen great young hitters- the Tribe is built around its pitching staff.

Kluber and Carrasco are top of the rotation pitchers that are on amazing contracts. Kluber is tied up until 2022- Carrasco until 2021...Salazar is not even arbitration eligible yet. Bauer is still years away from free agency. You have those 4 guys making LESS than 30 million a year combined---- thats insane in todays MLB to have a rotation THAT good and THAT inexpensive. Some good young pitchersi n the minors too- Aiken was taken with the #1 overall pick- had Tommy John, re-entered the draft and the Tribe took him in the top 20 - and he has ace material.

And of course- the Tribe DOES have some good young position players- Lindor is already one of the best in baseball and has been amazing. Jose Ramirez looks like a helluva good infielder, Kipnis is signed up forever on a VERY reasonable deal, Tyler Naquin looks like the real deal- and Bradley Zimmer (who is the Tribe's best prospect) I think is gonna be really freaking good.

Its funny how the Cubs and Indians of all teams are set up to have such sustained sucess.

Also doesn't hurt having Theo as your GM or Francona as your manager...I have never seen a manager so beloved by his players.

You guys really caught lightning in a bottle with Mike Napoli...Wouldn't be surpised if he finished second behind Jose Altuve in the MVP voting. The reason I say the Indians aren't quite as well-positioned as the Cubs for sustaining success is because they don't have the pure power-hitting prospects we have. Napoli is you're one major power threat and he's 34....

 

[Heatles84]

Maybe for the Indians it might be, but as a Cubs fan I don't look at it that way for us. Theo Epstein was brought in five years ago to create a formula for sustained success, in that if we get close one year we'll be in position to get back the following year. He tore the system down and built it back up to do so, as we endured a 100-loss season along the way.

Nonetheless, I think Cubs/Indians would be a classic and I'd like to see it...

I'd be pulling hard for the Cubs if that happened (have nothing against the Indians, and feel for them for '97), but yeah....108 years. That shit has to end.

 

[Rockinkuwait]

Oh I'm under no illusions that there are plenty of questions surrounding this team. I'm not saying that of all the myriad of things that could potentially go wrong, depth is probably way lower on the list than you're giving it credit for. The reasons I have stated are because of the staggering of the star players. If you have two star players on the court with the second unit(say KD and Klay), not only does it alleviate some of the concerns over depth because you have to stars to hold it down, but it gives them some additional run where they can get their shots up.

The depth isn't going to be an issue because if you have KD and Klay on the court, and just one between Iguodala and Livingston, then 2 filler spots, you would still have a better second unit than any one else in the league. If you're looking at it from a pure 5 in, 5 out model, then yes, depth would absolutely be an issue. But it will not be an issue if the coaching staff gets the rotations right, and I have every belief that they will.

Depth I think is most important in 2 area's. Getting through injuries and regular season wins. I don't think the 2nd one is an issue. Come playoffs most teams aren't going more than 8 deep with any real consistent minutes anyways.

So starting 5, West, Iggy, Livingston. I think the Warriors have plenty of depth to be a great in the post-season.

As for injuries... well I don't think any team is better suited to lose a star player than this one with the number of dynamic players on that roster. So while you now need Clark or Looney to step up and get regular minutes, It's not like you are asking them to be a playmaker. You are maybe putting more play-making on Curry, Klay, and Green if Durant misses time. But injuries to stars are very hard for any team.


I keep thinking back to the post-Melo nuggets here. We got a haul of solid players there. Had 10-11 guys that would be the "bottom" starter on elite teams (some were too). I think we had a roster of Afflalo, Nene, Lawson, JR Smith, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin, Birdman, Felton, Chandler, Gallinari, Mozgov and Koufos at one point.

And in the regular season when you are using 10 guys routinely, our depth made us better than a lot of teams. But when Denver hit the playoffs, other teams didn't have their 8th man and on playing much, and their better stars on the court more beat out our own. Depth became less valuable.